A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to ensure proper service of all documents it intend to use in the prosecution of its case against a former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, and two other defendants.
The directive of the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, was sequel to the objections raised, yesterday, by the defendants’ lawyers to the admissibility of a document sought to be tendered by the EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, as exhibit.
Jacobs had in the course of examining the third prosecution witness, Tunde David, tendered the statements of account of Abia State Government House and urged the court to admit same as exhibits.
This move was objected to by the defence lawyers on the ground that the document was different from what was front-loaded by the prosecution in the proof of evidence.
In his submissions, Kalu’s lawyer, Goddy Uche, SAN, said it was wrong for the prosecution to seek to tender a document that was never made available to the defence.
He urged the court to adjourn the matter to allow the defence study the documents after they might have been properly served on it by the prosecution.
In his ruling, Justice Idris held that having not been earlier front-loaded, the document was not yet admissible.
Further hearing in the matter continues today.